K3LR Dominates USA Multi-Multi in 2016 CQWW SSB but is Edged Out Again in the CW Weekend

PublishedMay 13, 2017

Battling what many considered to be the worst conditions ever for this contest, the team at K3LR managed a 7th-in-world multi-multi finish in the SSB weekend, decisively winning USA with a score of 12.6 million points compared with 9.6 million for WE3C and 8.7 million for W3LPL. The ‘LR team’s score was some 19 million points below their 2015 score but with the solar flux at 70 for most of the weekend, this was more than enough for their top ten showing. PJ2T managed to place first in the world in this category with a score less than the 2015 K3LR score!

In multi-single, K8AZ placed sixth in the US, compared to their usual presence at or near the top of this category. In his 3830 posting, Tom explained as follows:

Two of my longest-held and dearest friends, K8NZ and N8AA, each of whom can claim a half-century of CQWW experience (and I am not too far behind them),emphatically agreed that these were the worst CQWW conditions they have ever experienced here in the Midwest.

So, we decided to have fun instead. After all, we’re in Cleveland, and the Cleveland Indians were on TV Friday and Saturday nights, at Wrigley Field — as big underdogs — in games 3 and 4 of baseball’s World Series. What better excuses to divert one’s attention from radio? So we played radio, watched two intense games, used the contest to break in some of the less experienced local operators …. and overall had a blast.

Other notable NCC scores in the SSB weekend were achieved by LZ4AX, who piloted the K3CR station to a second place finish in SOABLP, and K8ZT, who placed 9th in the world in the QRP category.

In the CW weekend, the K3LR crew were edged out of first-place USA in the multi-multi category by W3LPL, the second year in a row that Frank’s crew bested the ‘LR gang following three consecutive K3LR wins in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Although K3LR managed to find two more multipliers, the ‘LPL team made nearly 500 more QSOs, pushing their score to 14.2 million points, versus 13.0 million for K3LR. It seems that as we head downward in the solar cycle, stations in the NCC territor are affected more than stations closer to Europe.

The W2FU team registered a second place USA score in the multi-two category, but their score of 8.4 million points put them well behind the KC1XX superstation which made 11.9 million points. Another case of QTH disadvantage, it seems.

I n multi-single, the K8AZ team put in a valiant effort to keep up with its competitors but came in fourth place. However, their score was only 0.5 million points behind winner W3UA with 5.4 million points, so Tom’s ops did a tremendous job.

In the SOABLP category, LZ4AX again managed to win the category operating from K3CR. Well done, Alex!